Behind the counter.
The old appraiser had been wearing an expression that said, "Hurry up and get lost. You're keeping me from slacking off." But the instant he saw what was on the counter, his face changed like a Sichuan opera mask.
He shot upright.
His old back straightened so fast he nearly threw it out.
He reached out and picked up the Shadow Cat's front paw.
The paw was about twenty centimeters long, its surface a grayish black, and its claws were thin as a cicada's wing.
Even beneath the soft, warm indoor lighting, the thing still reflected a chilling gleam that made your eyes sting just to look at it.
"A Shadow Cat? And an adult one?"
The old appraiser's voice shot up eight octaves, as if someone had stepped on his tail.
He hurriedly adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, grabbed a magnifying glass, and brought it close to the break at the base of the claw.
The moment he saw it, his breathing stopped for a beat.
"Good grief... this cut..."
Through the magnifying glass, the break looked as smooth as a mirror, without a single jagged tear.
Even the hardest part of the bone had been cleanly severed, leaving a perfect cross-section.
What did that mean?
It meant that this Shadow Cat, renowned for its speed and reflexes, had been killed in a single instant!
And the weapon used had definitely not been an ordinary War Blade.
Only a heavy weapon with both terrifying weight and an incredibly keen edge, combined with that kind of unreasonable explosive force, could produce such a smooth effect—like a "hot knife through butter."
"One strike, one kill? Clean and decisive, cutting straight through skin and bone?"
The old appraiser looked up sharply, the cloudiness vanishing from his eyes.
He stared intently at the schoolboy in front of him, swallowed, and asked tentatively,
"Young man, this... was this the work of some elder in your family? That blade technique is incredibly seasoned!"
Lin Fan didn't even lift an eyelid. His expression remained perfectly calm.
"An elder? I don't have any elders."
As he spoke, he reached into a compartment of his backpack and, as casually as if he were pulling out candy, produced another large handful of bloodstained fangs and tossed them onto the counter.
"And these, too. Sixteen pairs of Iron-Bristled Wild Boar tusks, plus sixteen fresh hearts."
"They're all here. Count them."
The old appraiser looked at the pile of materials on the counter, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
Good grief!
A Shadow Cat and Iron-Bristled Wild Boars?
One was a speed-type assassin, the other a defense-type tank.
These two species were both notorious tough nuts among Beast Soldier Level monsters. Even Beginner Warrior teams could be in for a long, difficult fight if they ran into them—and might even get hurt.
And judging by how fresh the materials were—the blood still wet and the stench still sharp—they'd clearly been killed recently. It couldn't have been more than twenty-four hours!
One person had wiped out a whole boar nest in a single day and casually killed several cats along the way?
What kind of efficiency was that?
Was he restocking?!
"Um... young man, ahem, sir."
The old appraiser took a deep breath. His manner of address instantly upgraded from "young man" to "sir," and he even sounded a little cautious.
"We need to verify your identity."
"After all, these materials are worth a lot, and they involve a large number of high-risk Beast Soldier Level monsters. Alliance regulations require real-name verification for large transactions."
"Sure."
Lin Fan didn't waste words. He simply pulled his ID card from his pocket and handed it over.
The old appraiser accepted it with both hands and swiped it across the precision card reader beside him.
Beep.
Lin Fan's personal profile appeared on the screen. In the photo, the boy's gaze was cool, even carrying a hint of world-weary indifference.
But the old appraiser wasn't focused on the photo. He was looking at the lines of text beneath it:
[Name: Lin Fan]
[Gender: Male]
[Status: Quasi-Martial Artist (Limit Martial Arts Hall assessment passed; profile being entered)]
[Certification date: 2056...]
In other words, today.
"Qu... Quasi-Martial Artist?!"
"And he just passed the assessment today?"
The old appraiser stared at Lin Fan's profile on the screen, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
What did that mean?
It meant that this seemingly harmless, even somewhat shabby-looking student had dared to venture alone into the Wilderness Zone to hunt monsters before he'd even acquired the status that came with being a Quasi-Martial Artist!
And he'd come back with a backpack full of them!
What the hell kind of student was this? He was a ruthless fighter in a school uniform!
A combat genius like this, as long as he didn't die young, would become at least a War General Level fighter, and perhaps even...
"Clack."
The old appraiser quickly pulled out the card and returned it to Lin Fan with both hands, full of respect.
At that moment, the trace of nonchalance on his face had long since vanished. In its place was genuine awe, with perhaps a little fear mixed in.
Thank goodness he hadn't said anything rude earlier. If he'd offended a future big shot like this, would he still have a job?
In this world, age was an illusion, and education was a sham.
Only strength was the one and only truth.
"Mr. Lin, my apologies! I failed to recognize you!"
The old appraiser stood up, bowed slightly, and gave him a proper martial artist's salute, his manner utterly deferential.
"I was blind just now and failed to recognize a true master. Your materials are in excellent condition, and your processing technique is so professional there's nothing to criticize!"
"Don't worry. I'll personally evaluate them and put you through the VIP fast track! I guarantee you the highest purchase price. If I offer even a penny less, you can hold me to it!"
"Sorry for the trouble."
Lin Fan took his ID card and tucked it back into his pocket. His expression remained as indifferent as ever, as if everything that had just happened had been completely within his expectations.
But that unruffled air only raised the old appraiser's opinion of him further.
Look at that!
That was the bearing of a genius!
An ordinary person would have been getting cocky by now.
The old appraiser said no more and began quickly counting the materials.
He worked more than twice as fast as before, his fingers flying over the calculator. He was afraid to keep this gentleman waiting.
"Three Shadow Cat materials. The claws are intact, and although the fur is damaged, the vital areas are unharmed. The bones are in excellent condition. With a ten percent premium, I'll offer you 200,000."
"Sixteen pairs of Iron-Bristled Wild Boar tusks, sixteen hearts... Tsk, that's an astonishing number. Looks like you wiped out an entire boar family."
The old appraiser recorded the items while slipping in compliments.
"Iron-Bristled Wild Boar materials don't fetch much individually, but the quantity makes up for it. And the quality of these tusks is almost at Beast General Level. I'll offer you 900,000 for the lot."
"That makes 1.1 million altogether."
The old appraiser looked up and quoted the final price, his gaze as sincere as if he were looking at his own grandson.
"Mr. Lin, that's the limit of my authority. It's definitely higher than the market average."
Lin Fan nodded, feeling a little moved.
1.1 million.
He wouldn't even have dared to imagine that kind of money before.
For an ordinary working family, that could be a lifetime's savings—a figure that would take decades of backbreaking labor to earn.
And now... all it had taken was a trip to the edge of the Wilderness Zone.
Was this how fast martial artists made money?
It was kind of ridiculous.
"Transfer it to this card." Lin Fan handed over his bank card.
"Of course. It'll be there in a moment. Please wait."
The old appraiser tapped away at the keyboard.
A few seconds later.
Bzz.
The phone in Lin Fan's pocket vibrated.
He pulled out the phone, its screen chipped at one corner, and opened his messages.
[1,100,000.00 yuan deposited into your account ending in 8806.]
[Current balance: 21,101,400.00 yuan.]
Looking at the long string of zeroes, Lin Fan let out a quiet breath.
The boulder called "poverty" that had weighed on his heart had finally shattered completely.
A multi-millionaire.
And a legitimate one.
"Alright."
Lin Fan put his phone away, his confidence instantly surging.
The transaction was complete, but he didn't leave right away. Instead, he looked at the old man behind the counter.
"Which floor is the weapons sales area on?"
At that, the old appraiser immediately pointed upward, his face blooming like a chrysanthemum.
"Floor 42!"
"That's the largest weapons showroom in all of Jiangnan Base City. You can buy more than just weapons there. If you have the money, even War God Level equipment is available."
"But nothing there comes cheap. Even a decent War Blade costs over a million..."
As he said this, the old appraiser seemed to remember something. He hurriedly rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a card with gold foil patterns, then offered it with both hands.
"Um... Mr. Lin, if you don't mind, here's my business card."
"There's a referral code on the back. Take it with you and you'll get an internal discount of two percent."
"It's not much, but it's a small token of my goodwill. I hope we can become friends."
Lin Fan glanced at the old man, whose face was wreathed in smiles.
The sly old fox knew how to handle people.
Still, in this line of work, it was better to have one more friend than one more stranger.
Even a tiny discount was still money.
"Thanks."
Lin Fan took the business card, casually tucked it into his pocket, and turned toward the elevator.
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